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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. field — a subject
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bound — tied together
  6. field — for sport
  7. fall — the season
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bank — for money
  12. chip — for betting
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. chip — to eat
  16. bass — low music
  17. bound — certain
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. field — farmland
  20. bound — obliged
  21. bank — for money
  22. bank — of a river
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cabinet — ministers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com